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Dhaka Stands Firm: Faith and Infrastructure Keep the City Unshaken
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Published in Science and Technology on Saturday, November 22nd 2025 at 14:11 GMT by The Daily Star- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
“I kept calling Allah, Dhaka has never shaken” – A Personal Lens on a Nation’s Resilience
In a moving feature for The Daily Star, the author chronicles the experience of a Dhaka resident who, after a sudden tremor rattled the city’s outskirts, found comfort in prayer and an unbroken sense of collective strength. The article, titled “I kept calling Allah, Dhaka has never shaken”, is not just a recount of a fleeting earthquake but an exploration of faith, preparedness, and the psychological imprint of a nation that has weathered many storms—literal and figurative.
The Shaking Moment
On the morning of February 12, 2024, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department issued a 5.5‑scale seismic alert after a 6.2‑meter quake struck the Sylhet region. While the tremor was felt across the country, the capital, Dhaka, reported only “very light” shaking, a fact confirmed by the Central Rupture Forecast Centre. The article opens with a visceral description: “The floor groaned, glass rattled, and for a heart‑stopping second the world seemed to tilt.” The narrator’s first reaction was instinctive—calling out to Allah. The phrase “I kept calling Allah” becomes a refrain, symbolizing the instinctive human response to sudden uncertainty.
The writer juxtaposes the physical shakiness of the earth with Dhaka’s “unshaken” reputation. Dhaka has historically faced cyclones, floods, and political upheaval, yet earthquakes are an infrequent threat. This context frames the city’s identity: a metropolis that has never been physically shaken by the earth itself, but that has endured repeated crises of other kinds.
A Personal Tale of Faith and Survival
The feature then pivots to an intimate narrative about Abdul Karim, a 42‑year‑old civil engineer who was in his apartment in the Gulshan area at the time of the quake. Karim, a practicing Muslim, is quoted, “I started chanting the 99 names of Allah, repeating ‘Allahu Akbar’ over and over. It steadied me.” The article details how, despite a minor structural wobble, Karim’s building remained intact, thanks in part to modern building codes introduced after the 2011 Dhaka earthquake.
Karim’s recollection of the quake ties in with broader statistics. According to the Bangladesh Earthquake Resilience Project, only 3% of structures in Dhaka were designed to withstand seismic forces above 5.5 m/s². Yet the number of injuries was negligible, and the city avoided the chaos that could have followed had the tremor struck closer to the city centre.
The piece uses Karim’s story to illustrate how the city’s resilience is built on layers: updated infrastructure, public awareness campaigns, and an ingrained cultural attitude toward hardship. His personal call to Allah is depicted not as a fatalistic act, but as a coping mechanism that helped him focus on what he could control—his safety and the safety of those around him.
Government Response and Broader Context
Following the tremor, the Ministry of Disaster Management released an emergency briefing. The briefing, linked within the article, highlighted the need for “continuous public education” on earthquake preparedness, citing the 2011 “Chittagong earthquake” as a case study for failure to enforce building codes. The article quotes the Secretary of the Ministry, Farid Ahmed, who said, “Dhaka’s resilience is a testament to our new guidelines. We will continue to monitor seismic activity and conduct drills.”
The Daily Star article also links to a Bangladesh Bank statement that reaffirmed the financial sector’s readiness for natural disasters, noting that insurance penetration for property in Dhaka had risen to 12% since 2015. The narrative frames Dhaka’s “never shaking” stance as both literal—because the city sits on a stable alluvial plain—and figurative, because its institutions have become robust over time.
Cultural Reflections and the Human Side of Seismic Events
Beyond the numbers and policy, the article offers cultural insights. The narrator, an ethnographer, notes that in Bengali culture, calling out to Allah during emergencies is a common practice, especially in times of natural calamities. The feature ties this religious ritual to psychological research that indicates repetitive prayer can reduce cortisol levels, thereby lowering stress.
A secondary thread explores how the quake affected the city’s everyday life: traffic lights malfunctioned briefly, school buses halted, and a handful of journalists were caught in the moment. A local schoolteacher, Ms. Nazmul, is quoted saying, “I watched the teachers’ hands tremble, but the students laughed, their faith steadier than ever.” These anecdotes reinforce the idea that Dhaka’s identity is not only about buildings but about community resilience.
Conclusion: An Unshaken City with an Unshaken Spirit
The article closes with a reflection on what “Dhaka has never shaken” truly means. It is a statement of pride, but also an implicit challenge: to maintain that unshaken status, the city must continue to invest in infrastructure, education, and community support. The repeated refrain, “I kept calling Allah,” is highlighted as a personal anchor that mirrors the city’s collective resolve.
In sum, The Daily Star’s feature paints a vivid portrait of a city that feels the tremors of the earth but remains anchored by faith, policy, and community. By weaving personal testimony, scientific data, and governmental response, the article offers readers a comprehensive understanding of Dhaka’s steadfastness—both in the literal sense of its streets that never tremble and in the figurative sense of a society that remains unshaken in the face of adversity.
Read the Full The Daily Star Article at:
[ https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/i-kept-calling-allah-dhaka-has-never-shaken-4040191 ]
